Apparatus for drying malt



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G. PORTZ.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING MALT. No. 494,937. Patented Apr. 4, 1893.

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G. PORTZ. APPARATUS FOR DRYING M'ALT- No. 494,937. PatentedApr. 4,1893.:

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G. PORTZ; APPARATUS FORDRYING MALT.

No 494,937. Patented Apr. 4, 1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE IOBTZ, OF HARTFORD, VVISOONSIN.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING MALT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 494,937, dated April 4,1893. Application filed April 5, 1892. Serial No. 427,800. (No model.)

.To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE PORTZ, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Hartford, in the county of Washington, and in the State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin DryingMalt; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description thereof.

My invention has for its object to provide an economical means fordrying malt more rapidly than is possible with kilns in common use, aswell as to effect a saving in the matter of space and labor necessary tothe operation.

To this end the said invention consists in a certain apparatus to behereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings andsubsequently claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal sectiontaken on line 11 of the succeeding figure and illustrates a portion ofan apparatus constructed according to my invention for the purpose ofcarrying out my improved method of drying malt; Fig. 2, an end view ofthe same partly broken away; Fig. 3, a transverse section on line 33 ofFig. 1, and Fig. 4, an elevation of my drying apparatus in position foruse, the building containing said apparatus being shown in transversesection.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A represents transverse supportsprovided with bearings B, G, for parallel shafts D, E, as well asbearings F for the shaft G of a screw-conveyer H, the latter beingarranged within a suitable casing or trough l, as best illustrated inFig. 1. Each of the shafts D, E, carry rollers J that serve as supportsfor a drying drum, that is hereinafter described, and pinions K are alsoarranged on the latter one of said shafts.

Fast on'the shaft that carries the pinions is a sprocket wheel Ldesigned for connection, by a chain M, with another sprocket-wheel N onasuitably located driving shaft 0, as shown in Fig. 4, and as bestillustrated in Fig. 1, a beltand-pulley mechanism connects the formershaft with the shaft G of the conveyor, above described.

The drying drum comprises a cylindrical shell P of perforated metaljoined at its ends to heads Q having central apertures 6 surrounded byannular flangesc and the peripheries of these heads are in the form oftracks d for the rollers J, and gear-teeth e that mesh with the pinionsK on the shaft E, as above described. At intervals of its length theshell P of the drum is provided with stay-hands f and adjacent to thesestay-bands or forming part of the same are guides g for sliding covers Rfor openings in said shell.

Secured to annular flanges 1. on the inher sides of the heads Q of thedrying drum are longitudinalbraces 2' and inolosiug these braces andsaid fiangesis a shell S of perforated metal, this construction beingbest illustrated in Fig. l. The flanges c on the drumheads Q rotatefreely on. the ends of stationary fines 1 leading from fan-casings U,the shafts of the fans within these casings being driven bybelt-and-pulley connections with the drive shaft 0 above described, andfines V connect said fan-casings with a furnace \V, this constructionand arrangement of parts being clearly illustrated in Fig. 4, wherein isalso shown a building X having one compartment for the furnace andanother for the drying drum. 7 In practice germinated malt is let intothe shell P of the drying drum through any one or all of the openingstherein, after which the openings are all closed by their covers R androtation imparted to said drum through the medium of the pinions'K inmesh with the gear-teeth 6 above described. During the rotation of thedrum ,the fan-mechanism draws hot-air from the furnace and forces thesame into the shell S, the perforations in the latter permitting saidhot-air to act upon the malt confined within the perforated drum, passfrom this drum into the adjacent compartment and from thence to theoutside of the building K through a suitable flue in the roof of thesame. When necessary, cold air may be mingled with the hot in order toreduce the temperature to a suitable degree, (which degree may bedetermined by a suitably arranged thermometer) any desirable means beingemployed for regulating the admission of said cold-air.

In Fig. 41 have shown a cold-air pipe Y provided with a damper Z andintercepting the hot-air flue V, as a means to provide for tempering theair taken from the furnace.

Inasmuch as the drum is in rotation the malt confined therein isconstantly agitated during the time it is subjected to the blast of hotor warm air, and consequently the drying is more rapid without danger ofscorching, than by the usual means, and no labor is required to turnsaid malt. The malt having been dried, the openings in the drum arebrought over the couveyer H and the covers for said openings drawn backin their guides to permit said malt to discharge into the conveyortrough I from whence it is run oif by. suitable means to a point ofdelivery.

While I have shown a tooth-gear for driving the drying drum, I mayemploy a friction, sprocket or beltwgearing for the same purpose, and astherollersJ are merelyanti-friction supports for said drum they may bearranged on studs instead of the shafts herein described, these detailsof construction-being mere matters of mechanical expediency in thecarrying Out of my invention, so long as the several parts named are sogeared or connected together as to operate simultaneously in producingthe required result, it being essential that the relative motions of thevarious parts be so timed that the drum shall be slowly revolved by thedescribed gear to turn the malt while the blast is passing through thesame,

provided'with peripheral gear-teeth and tracks, parallel shafts arrangedunder the drum and provided with anti-friction rollers 40 in contactwith the tracks, pinions on one of the shafts in mesh with the drum-headgear teeth, a drive-shaft geared to the pinion-shaft,

a furnace, incased fans arranged intermediate of the furnace and drumand geared to said 45 drive-shaft, fines connecting the fan-casings withthe furnace and aforesaid drum-inclosed shell, and a conveyer-mechanismarranged to receive material discharged from said drum, substantially asset forth.

In testimony that Iclaim the, foregoing I have hereunto set my'hand, atMilwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wiscousin, in thepresence of two witnesses.

GEORGE POBTZ.

Witnesses;

N. E. OLIPHANT, JOHN E. WILES.

